Self-winding clock.



F. IVLSCHMIDT.

SELF WINDINGCLOGK.

APPLICATION man FEB .27.19.15.

1,189,680. Ptentedfrulygm 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

. nudi/woz F. M. SCHMIDT..

lSELF W INDlNG CLOCK.

APPLiCATlON- FILED FEB. 27.4915.' I i 1.189,1630. Patented July-4,1916.

lF. M. SCHMIDT.

SELF WINDING CLOCK. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 27| 1.91.5.

sHEETs-SHEET 3.'

Patented July 4 lu/miento@ w'mmewg; v

UNITED STATES PATENT FREDERICK M. SCHMIDT, .0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO SELF WINEING CLOCK COMPANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SELF-WINDING- CLOCK.

To all whom t may concern Be. it 'known that 1I, FREDERICK M. SCHMTDT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Winding Clocks, of which the following is afull and clear specificationf This invention relates to self-windingl vThe detailsl of invention will appear in lthe specification and be pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which my invention is exemplified, and in which,

Figure 1`is a front elevation of aselfwinding clock, provided with my improvements, parts being omitted and parts broken away; Fig. 2 is a section on the line vII-II,

" Fig. 3, showing the automatic device for controlling the operation of the electro-respo'nsive means for winding the clock, parts being broken away to show connections in the rear thereof; Fig. 3 is a. plan view of the clock; Fig. 4 is a side elevation corresponding to Fig. '1, parts being omitted; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front elevation of the wind* ing mechanism; Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the circuit controlling mechanism show-A ing the parts in circuit-closing position, parts being broken away and partsl shown in section.v y

In order that my invention may be more readily understood, the description is confined to the preferred embodiment. An inspection ofztheclaims however, will make it clear that the invention is not limited to the particular construction and arrangement of parts shownv on the drawings.` o Y Referring more particularly to the drawings, a pair of spaced *frames l serve to journal a main spring shaft 2, which carries the main spring 3 (see Fig. 5). A winding Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 4, 1916.

Application led February 27, 1915. Serial No. 10,967.

by a paw'l 5, pivoted on a pin 6,'which is carried by a plate 7, oscillatably mounted upon the shaft 2. Alink 8 has its upper end pivotally connected by a pin 9 tothe oscillating plate link 8 is pivotally connected by a pin 10 (see Fig. v1) with the upper end of a 7. The lower end of thel Fiori. y

plunger. 1.1 which is normally retained in raised position by a sp'ring 12. A suitable electro-responsive device for operating the plunger 11 may be provided by a solenoid 13, which is mounted in a frame 14, which suspends from the spaced frames 1. Keyed to the spring shaft 2 is a gear 15; which meshes with a pinion 16 keyed to the minute hand shaft 17. A larger gear 18 which is also keyed to the shaft 17 meshes with a pinion 19l on a spindle 20, which also carries a gear 21, which is controlled by a suitable escapement (not shown in the drawings),l Loosely mounted on the minute hand shaft 17 is a double cam embodying the lobes 22, 23 each of said lobes being of sufficient breadth to simultaneously engage a pair of parallelly arranged spring arms 24 and 25, which constitute portions of an automatic make and break device presently nected by a leaf spring 27, to a fixed plate-` 28 rigidly mounted upon an insulating strip 29. The outer end of the fixed plate 28 is provided with a binding post 30, to which is attached a wire 31. The spring arm 24 is connected by a leaf spring 32, with a fixed plate 33, which is mounted on an insulating strip 34, and provided with a binding post 35, to which is attached another wire 36. As shown in Fig. 1, the wire 36 is connected to one end of the solenoid 13, the other end of said solenoid being connected by a wire 37 to a binding post 36, to which is also connected a lead wire 39. A pair of overlianging current conducting arms 40 and 41 are suitably connected to the spring 27 and carry a pair of contacts 42, which are normally held spaced from a pair of similar contacts 43, carried by the arm' 24 when the cam arnis 24 and 25 are on a level with each other. lVhen however, the cam arm 25 drops from the high point of a cam lobe whilethe cam arni 24 remains on said high point, contacts 42 and 43 are Q Liege-eo Fixed abutment -lY-l. Ytor arms 2l and 25 is mounted on the strip l-. It will be seen that whenever the contacts l2 are 'torced against the contacts lil, a circuit will be closed which includes a source ot' power (not shown on the drawings) wire 231, binding post 30. plate lea t spring 2T, arms lt), ll contacts l-Q. contacts li-f3, cam arm 2l. lea't spring 32,' tixed plate 3B. binding post 35. wire 2lb, solenoid lil. wire 3T. binding post 3S, and wire ill), back to battery or other source of power.

ln the ijnelerred embodiment olil my invention shown on the drawings, it was desired to have the cam operated by the clock train in order to energize the winding solcnoid at predetermined intervals during which the clock was ruiming. t the same brought togetl'ier. the cani time in order to reduce the consumption oit current to a minimum, it is desirable to have the windingI movement break the circuit. ln order to carry out the lorinei object, the minute hand sha'tt 1T provided with a radially projecting pin lo which adapted to engage a pin AVl'T projecting 'from lateial tace ot' the cam 2;. 2-3; l l'ter each operation et the winding mechanism. the pin iT cai'- ricd by said cam will usually be some angular distance in advance ot' the pin l-t) which is driven by the clock-work. lrojecting trom the opposite tace ot said cam is a second pin 17S which at times engages or is engaged by a radial linger lll carried by a disk-like plate lll which is oscillatable independentl \v ot the shalt il.

Rigid with the ratchet -l by the aid of which the main spring $5 is wound. is a gear, 65, (see Fig. which meshes with a pinion GG, said pinion being' freely jouriialed on the shatt 1T. rl`he pinion (3G is provided with a laterally projecting` pin GT which is oscillatable in an arcuate recess (3S in the disk or plate it), being thereby adapted at the end ot each winding movement to rotate the disk or plate :til after taking up the lost motion through said recess which permits a t'ull stroke movement ot the plunger ll betere the energizing currentis cut olli. A pivotally mounted dog 5l is held againstthe winding ratchet by means ot a lealI spring (see Fig. As shown in Fig. l, a. blade mounted on a fixed pedestal (3l serves to limit the upward movement of the plunger 1l.

The operation ot the device will now be readily understood and briefly related is as follows: After each winding operation, the contacts ,lf2 are normally spaced trom the contacts i3. As the minute hand shaft 17 is rotated by the main spring under the control ot the escapement mechanism (not. shown), lost motion between pins i6 and 4T is {ii-st taken up after which the cani comprising lobes 22 and 23, will simultaneously raise the spring arms 2l and 25, without pei-- niitting contacts ll2 to engage contact.s By reason. however, ot the unequal lengths ot the spring arms 2l and 25. the arin 25 `will drop vtrom the outer run ot the cani prior to the longer arm Ll. The el'lject ot this is to permit the leat spring 2T to draw the contactsl down on to the contacts l-, thus closing the circuit above reterred to. This energizes the solenoid i3 and draws the plunger ll downward, thus imparting a wii'iding movement to the main spring 3. lnasmuch as the gear G5 pai-takesv ot this \'vinding movement. the pinion titi is caused to rotate, thus causing the pin ('T to tra verse the arcuate slot (SS and to rotaie the disk o1' plate if). ly the movement ot said disk .or plate Vl-f), the linger -lf is brought into engagement with the pin t8 which in'iparts an additional rotary movement to the cam sullicient to release the cam arm which breaks the circuit. According to the show ing made in Fig. t), said pin 6T will revolve the linger 49 in a counter clockwise direction tor approximately one entire revolntion. ln this manner the relatively slow clockwork brings about the energization ot the circuit which operates plunger Yll while the plunger automatically e'tltects the interruption ot the.' current which eiiergizes the solenoid that draws it down. Current consumption is thereby reduced to ar minimum. l'y means ot the overhanging spring arms -l-O and il, the contacts l2 are toi-ced evenly against the contacts -l and provide a large area et contact. On the other hand, the sudden drops in the cani 2Q, 23, serve, to ell`ect a sudden separation ol the contacts #l2 `troni the contacts lei-, thus imparting a desir able snap action to the circuit breaking movement.

I claim: i v l. In a selt-wmding clock, a main spring,I

electromagnetic means tor winding said spring, an energizing circuit tor said electromagnetic means, and means tor making and breaking said circuit, said means includinga clock shatt driven by said mainA spring, a cain loosely mounted on said clock shatt and having oppositely projecting pins, a radially projecting pin carried by said clock shaft tor engaging one ol the pins on cuit, means driven by said clock shaft for engaging said cam', and means driven by said electroresponsive device independently of said shaft for engaging said cam, th`e last said means-including a laterally projecting pin carried by said cam, and a member loosely iiiouiited'on the clock shaft and lhaving lost motion connection with said electroi'esponsive device.- y

3. In a self-Winding clock, a main spring shaft, a main spring having one end attached thereto, a clock shaft geared to said main lspring shaft, an electroiesponsive de- Vice suitably connected to the other end of said spring to Wind it upon the spring shaft, an electric circuit for energizing said cam, the last said. means including a plate inovably mounted on saidclock shaft and having lost motion connection with said plate, said member being driven by said lclectroresponsive means.

.FREDERICK M. SCHMIDT.

Witnesses EL A. CoUimLAND, A. O. KNiGiiT. 

